Certain motor vehicles include an electronic gear shift device or shifter that enables the user to electronically control the transmission of the motor vehicle. In the case of an electronic gear shifter having a gear shift lever, the manipulation of the gear shift lever can send an electronic signal to the transmission to change a range of the transmission.
During use of the vehicle, lateral forces may be imparted to the gear shift lever of the gear shifter. For example, lateral forces can be applied to the gear shift lever by the user moving objects within the passenger cabin, or from other occupants within the passenger cabin. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved gear shifter, which prevents inadvertent shifting of the transmission due to the application of a lateral force. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.